Ironing-machine.



No. 677,808. Patented July 2, i90l.

. A. SHARP.

IRONING MACHINE.

(Application filed Mar. 8, 1899.)

5 Sheets-Shaet I.

(No Model.)

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NI AGHI i p cation In. 8, v (No Nodal.) 5 Sheats8haet 2.

ufinaqsaw Jim/ante 21' No. 677,808. Patented July 2, l90l.

A. SHARP.

IRONING MACHINE.

(Application filed. Mar. 3, 1899.) (No Model.)

5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

No. 677,808. Patefited July 2, IBM.

A. SHARP. IRONING MACHINE.

, (Application filed Mar. 3, 1899.) (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

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Patented July 2, l90l.

-v A. SHARP. IRONING MACHINE.

v (Applicafiion filed Mar. 3, (1899J (No Model.)

.Zhzzarwfarr m: hams vim co "Euro-mum. mwncmu n c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALONZO SHARP, OF TROY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE ADAMS LAUN DRY MACHINERY COMPANY, Oh SAME PLACE.

lRONlN G-MACl-UNE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 677,808, dated July 2-, 1901.

i A pligatioh filed March 3, 1899.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALoNzo SHARP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Troy, county of Rensselaer, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improve- ,ments inIroning-Machines, of which the following is. a specification. The invention relates to such 1m provements; and it consists of the novel construetion and combination of parts herein after de scribed and subsequently claimed.

Reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, and the letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification. Similarletters refer to similar partsfin the several figures therein. Figure 1 of thedrawings is'an elevationof one end of the improved ironing-machine. Fig. 2 is a similarview of the opposite end. Fig. 3 is afront elevation of the main frame, showing some of the rollers and gear conncc tions. Fig, 4 is a vertical cross sectional view showing the movable roller-shafts and actuating-levers, not fully shown in the other figures. Fig.' 5 is a vertical cross section taken on the broken line 5 5 in. Fig. 3, show ing the rollers and feed-tables. Fig. 6 is a detail View showingintermeshing pinions on the smallfeedrolls; Fig. 7 is a se qtipnal view of the change-gear forthe'clothed rolls. This invention relates to that classof ironing-machines in which the dampened goods arexpartially dried and ironed on one side by being passed between two rollers and subjected to heat from the under roller and to i a comparatively lightpressure from the rollers pressure. A

and are then carried to another set of rollers, having the polishing-roller uppermost, where the goods are subjected to heat from the polishing-roll and comparatively great roller- The objectof the invention is to produce a A more compact and eificient machine A, is the main frame of the machine, which supports in suitable bearings the upperseti of ironing-rollers A andfA and the lower set of rollers A A and A uThe rollers A and A are relativelyflargeand clothed, while-the rollers A A, and A are relatively small and unclothed and maybe termed; polishing rollers and which areprovided with the Serial No- 707,584-. (No modeLl 13 is fixed upon the drive-shaft, which is provided with the drive'pulley P, The studsupported intermediate gear 13 connects the large ge ar B with a gear 13 fixed on the roller A. The gears B and B" are fixed on the rollers A and A respectively, and mesh with the large gear 13.

It should be observed that the toothed face of the large gear 13 is made wider than that of the other gears, so thatthe gears 13 and B both meshing therewith, can lap each other, as shown in Fig. 2. Such'a construction permits the polishing-rolls A and A to be brought near enough together to cause the ,goods, such as detachable collars and cuffs, 'to feed steadily past both rollers and the larger roller A l A collar or cuff being fed from a table A in between the rollers A and A passes down the inclined way C, Fig. 5, to the rollers A and A and thence to the roller A being stripped from the roller A by the knife-edge, on the upper end of theinclined way and from the roller A by a stationary stripper O.

' After passing the last roller A it is delivered upon the receivingtable C By placing the clothed rollers in practically the same vertical plane, as shown, it is possible to make themachine narrower and more com pact and to dispense with a traveling carrier to carry the goods from oneset of rollers to another set, gravity being sufiicientin most cases to carry thegoods from one set of rollers to the other downthe inclined way 0.

When desired, a set of smallfeed-rolls may be employed to insure a positive delivery--as, for example, the rolls 0 and (3 respectively provided on one end with intermeshing pinions 0 and C Fig. 6. a The friction-roll C is actuated by the roller and actuates the roll C thereby positively "imparting to the small feed-rolls a surface tendantat the receiving-table O to constantly inspect the work and pass the imperfectly-' polished goods through the last set of rollers, a second time while the goods yet retained a degree of dampness.

The improved construction above described, which permits the use of two polishing-rolls Afand Aiin the last or finishingset, not only obviates thenecessity of watching the product and passing some of it through the finishing-rollers a secondv time, but improves the whole product. 7

The polishing-rolls being maintained in a heated condition would injure the clothed rollers if left in contact therewith while the machine was at rest, and the journals of the clothed rollers are provided with movable bearin gs and means for moving them, so that the rollers areseparated when the machine is stopped, and with means for varying the pressure for diiferent kinds of goods when the machine is at work. The means for so moving the hearings consists of a system of weighted levers which do not diifer materially from those heretofore used for the same purpose except that their normal position in use is inclined, which inclination is permitted by the inclination of the slideways,which contain the movable bearin gs of the journals of the clothed rollers. The inclined slideway Sfor the journal Sof the upper clothed roller A is shown in the main frame in Fig. 2, a like slideway being formed in the other end of the main frame for the journal on the other end of the roller. The inclined slideway S for the journal S on one end of the lower clothed'roller A is shown in Fig. 1, also the means for rotating the two clothed rollers without interference with the slide movements of their journals. 7

The drivingshaft Bis provided with a gear D, connected by the reducing-gears D, D D and ID with the large gear D which is secured to and drives the lower roller A This gear D is connected by the intermediate gears D D D and D with the gear D on the upper clothed roller A, whereby the same surface speed is positively imparted to the two clothed rollers. .It will be observed that the engagement of the gears l) and D are at points intersected by radial lines drawn at right angles to the line of slide movement required to separate the roller-journals, so that the small slide movement requiredto separate the rollers does not interfere with the gear connections.

in Fig. at in their relative positions when the machine is in operation. I The slidetrays are indicated by dotted lines,

as are the several rollers, and the journals of the clothed rollers, as well as the cross-rods forming fulcrums for the levers, are shown in section. I v

lhe weight W is applied to the long arm of 'lever H, f ulcrumed upon cross-rod-I-I and connected by turnbuckle-link II with the long arm of lever H secured intermediately of its ends to the journal S and fulcrum'ed at the "end of its short arm upon the crank-arm H of the. crank-shaft H through the link H. It is evident that the'we'ight will act to force the journal S upwardly in its slidewa'y, which 8o forces the roller A upwardly against the polishing-rollers A and The weight W is applied to the long arm.

oflever J, fulcrumed upon cross-rod J and connected by turnbuckle-linkJ and link J with the long arm of lever J secured intermediately of its ends to the journal S and fulcrumed at the end of its shorter arm upon I the crank-arm J of crank-shaft H through the link J. the journal S downwardly in its inclined slideway toward the polishing-roll A The arrangement of levers and weights is the same at each end of the machine, the

The weight W will act to force 0 weights acting upon both journals of each 5 clothed roller.

To separate the clothed from the polishing rollers, it is only necessary to give the crank;- shaft 11 a quarter-turn,which causes the ful-v crums of both sets of journal-levers to move to permit the weights to fall to the door or other fixed support. If the respective sheets of the drawings are inclined until the journal-slide ways occupy vertical positions, it will be observed that the upper set of rollers is a considerable distance to one side of the other set and that the plane of movement of the goods in passing between. the respective sets of rollers is horizontal, whereas by inclining such slideways the workpasses through both sets of rollers and from one set to the other on one and the same descending plane, which plane cuts at right angles the radialplane connecting the axes of the upper set of rollers and a radial plane passed from'the axis of the lower clothed roller up midway between the axes of the two polishing-rollers A and A whereby the most favorable relative positions of the working parts are secured, which not only facilitates the operation of the machine, but en ables the machine to bebuilt in a, more compact and symmetrical forin.

The polishing-rollers travel with a greater surface speed than the clothed rollers to give a polish to thegoods.

The upper set of rollers serves principally to heat and partially dry the goods, the pol ishing-roller' engaging the wrong side of the goods. Consequently the roller-pressure is p comparatively light. The levers and lever connections are shown 'lhe'ironing is finished in the lower set of rollers, the polishing-rollers engaging the right side of the goods with a relatively great roller-pressure.

The speed of the goods in passingthrou gh both sets of rollers is determined by and corresponds with the surface speed of the clothed rollers.

As a bonvenient means for giving the crank-shaft H a quarter-turn to operate the various levers to move the roller-journals in lever thrown up out of the way in an idle po-' sition.

The journals of the clothed rollers have their bearings inthe sleeves H and H which,

- sleeves are, integral with the respective .le-

vers H and J. i

J is a guidearm'pivoted atJ and at the the joint J of the links'J and J The rolls herein described as hot rolls, ironing-rolls, or polishing-rolls have a pol ished metal surface which may be heated in any known manner.

In laundering collars, ends, 850., it is'frequently found necessary to be able to produce upon such goods by ironing diiferent degrees of polish and also a dead or domestic finish to meetthe varying demands of public taste.

Any desired finish can be imparted with my improved machine by varying the relative peripheral speeds of the clothed and hot rolls, and I have shown in detail in Fig. 7 a change-gear used in thismachine, which is omitted from the other figures of the drawings for convenience of illustration.

. The mechanism shown in Fig. 7 permits three different degrees of peripheral speed to be imparted to the clothed rolls, which will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 1 in connection with Fig. 7. I

In addition to the driving-gear D, I provide two other driving-gears d and d of diiferent diameters, all three gears being integral with the sleeve d on the drive-shaft B and the smallest of said gears D being located between the two larger gears, and in addition to the first intermediate gear D on the stud b, Fig. 1, I provide two other gears d and cl of different diameters, said three gears being integral with the sleeve 01 on said stud and the largest gear d being located betweenthe two smaller gears, said gears corresponding in size with the three gears on the driveshaft, respectively. The pinion D which engages the gear I), may also be fixed on the sleeve d It will thus be seen that by moving one or both of the sleeves along the shaft or stud either of the three gears on one sleeve can be broughtinto mesh with its respective gear on the other sleeve, whereby three dif ferentdegrees of speed can be secured.

The sleeve d is feathered upon the driveshaft and may be secured in adjusted positions on said shaft by means of the set-screw d A'similar change-gear is employed to connect the opposite end'of the drive-shaft with the hot rolls.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1'. In an ironing-machine,two sets of presserrollers, each comprising a relatively large clothed roller and one or more relatively smallpolishing-rollers, so arranged that the relatively large rollers occupy approximately the same vertical plane, and the small and "large rollers of each set occupy approximately paralied inclined planes; in combine tion with a supporting-frame having similaily-inclined slideways in which. the journals of one roller of each set are movable,

respectively along the inclined planes occupied by the small and large rollers of the respective sets; and a system of interconnecting levers common to each set of roliers for moving such journals along the respective inclined slideways, substantially asdescribed.

2. In an ironing-machine, the combination with the inclined way connecting an upper with an under set of pressure-rollers; of a pair of small feed-rolls provided with intermeshing pinions, and an intermediate. friction roll engageable with one of such feed-rolls and'with the more slowly moving roller of the under set of pressurerollers, substantially as described. I a

3. In an ironing-machine, the combination with an upper set of pressure-rollers. having he plane connecting the axes of the individrial rollers in the set inclined; of an under set of pressure-rollers comprising a clothed roller and two polishing-rollers having the ,radial plane which passes from the axis of the clothed roller midway between the axes of the polishing-rollers inclined and approxiroo mately parallel with the radial plane conmeeting the axes of the upper set of rollers; an inclined way interposed between the two sets of, rollers; and astripper for one of the polishing-rolls, substantially as described.

4. In an ironinginachine having an upper and an under set of pressure-rollers, the 'under set consisting of a slowly-rotating clothed roller and a pair of rapidly-rotating polishing-rollers, the combination with the polish- 

